Name Change Policy

Policy on Personal Information Changes

Students are required to keep their legal name, address(es), and emergency contact information up to date. Information on how to update personal information can be found below. If students do not keep their personal information current by following the procedures outlined below, their identifiable information on record will be used.

Legal Name Change
Students are required to fill out the proper form as found on the Registrar’s website to change their legal name. Students are also required to provide any of the following legal documents to accompany the form: Photo ID, marriage certificate, passport, birth certificate, Social Security card, divorce decree, or court order.

Change of Address
Addresses can be changed through the KC Self-Service student portal under the personal information tab. Once a student has submitted their address change through KC Self-Service, the Registrar’s Office will verify the address within two business days.

Other Personal Updates
Emergency Contacts, personal email address, and phone numbers may also be changed through the KC Self-Service student portal. Students may access the personal information tab by logging into KC Self-Service.

Students who have questions on updating their personal information should contact the Registrar’s Office.

Keuka College Chosen Name and Personal Pronoun Policy

To foster an environment that is inclusive and encourages self-expression, Keuka College has established a policy whereby any current student may use a chosen first and/or middle name and personal pronouns at the College. We strive to have this name used wherever a legal name is not required and for our College community to use chosen personal pronouns. Please review the information below to make the best decision about your choices. 

Keuka College recognizes that students may identify themselves with names other than their legal names and/or personal pronouns that differ from their sex assigned at birth. The College also acknowledges that a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns should be used whenever possible in the course of a student’s education to ensure a supportive academic and living environment that will facilitate a healthy and welcoming educational and personal experience for the student. Therefore, consistent with its general practices for amending students’ records, Keuka College will permit the use of a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns, provided that such use is not for the purpose of misrepresentation (using inappropriate names or using the process to avoid a legal obligation).

Some records used by the College (e.g., Financial Aid, Community Standards & Student Intervention, external and internal health records used when communicating with insurance or other providers, F-1 & J -1 VISA) are required to carry legal names and, thus, are unable to accommodate any name other than the student’s legal name. Students should refer to the table below to know when the College uses chosen or legal names.

Personal Pronouns

The use of personal pronouns provides one way for students to identify themselves and their gender identity/expression. Personal pronouns will appear on course rosters and on the advisor’s view of the student. Personal pronouns do not appear in the Campus Directory. Students can expect their chosen first name and personal pronouns to be honored within the College’s community with other students, faculty, and staff. 

Registering a Chosen First Name and/or Personal Pronouns

In order to notify the College of a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns, students are required to complete a Chosen First Name and Personal Pronouns Request Form.

Please be advised that changing to a chosen name in the College’s student records is not the same as legally changing a name through the courts and students may be challenged when asked to provide proof of a legal name and/or identity for employment or government purposes, such as obtaining a passport. 

The College encourages students to give serious consideration to the request to use a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns. Inappropriate use of this policy may be cause for denial of the request. Individuals are free to select their chosen first name and/or personal pronouns, provided it is not for the purpose of misrepresentation (using inappropriate names or using the process to avoid a legal obligation).

Enrolled students who wish to change their legal name on College records, must fill out the change of name form found on the Registrar’s Office homepage.

New students who indicated a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns during the application process must submit the form required by this policy to ensure that chosen first name and/or personal pronouns are recorded upon enrollment. 

Students who wish to delete their name change request must resubmit a Chosen First Name and Pronouns Request Form. This policy and process is not intended to update names of record to nicknames of a diminutive of the student’s legal name.